Gun barrel cleaning device



Aug. 20, 1963 H. L. STOCKING 3,100,904

GUN BARREL CLEANING DEVICE Filed April 24, 1961 mlln INVENTOR. HOBART L. STOCK/N6 United States Patent 3,100,994 GUN BARREL CLEANING DE'VMIE Hobart L. Stocking, Deephaven, Minn, assignor to Minnesota Rubber Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 24, W61, Ser- Nc. 195,942 5 (liaims. (til. 151G4.19)

This invention relates to gun cleaning devices. More particularly, it relates to devices for loosening and cleaning lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels.

This application is related to my co-pending application Serial No. 43,610 filed July 18, 1960, now Patent No. 3,064,294 and entitled Expandible Gun Cleaner.

As pointed out in my co-pending application referred to in the immediately proceeding paragraph, scrubbing the interior of a gun barrel with flannel patches in the ordinary manner will usually remove most and some-- times all lead deposit-s, provided these deposits are first treated with a proper solvent. The solvent merely loosens the lead deposits and subsequent scrubbing of the interior of the barrel is required to remove them. Some such lead .deposits, however, are more firmly embedded than others and consequently, solvents plus scrubbing are insuificient. to loosen these deposits. Such deposits require more severe mechanical action than can be obtained with scrubbing with a soft cloth patch.

It has been conventional to utilize metal bristle brushes for (the purpose of mechanically loosening stubborn lead deposits, the bristles being made of metal softer than steel but often mounted on a center stem formed of metal which is substantially equally as hard as the metal of the gun barrel. The [theory has been that the softer metal from which the bristles are made would not damage the bore walls of the barrel because the latter are formed of hardened steel, but this does not take into consideration that softer metals do cause wear on harder metals if repeatedly rubbed thereagainst. It also does not take into consideration the fact that serious damage can be done if the direction of the bristles are changed while within the barrel because substantial pressure is involved in bending the bristles while within the barrel so that they will extend in an opposite direction. When this takes place, the sharp ends of the wire bristles obviously tends to dig into the barrel interior walls, particularly in view of pressure generated by the change in direction. Moreover, such bristles tend to powder the lead with the result that tine particles thereof remain within the pores of the metal of the barrel. Also, bristles tend to pick up and carry with them abrasive grit and other foreign substances which may damage the bore when the bristles are reciprocated there-within. My invention is designed to overcome these disadvantages.

It is a general object of my invention to provide a novel and improved dc-leading device for use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels which is simple and inexpensive in construction and operation and ciunctions in an improved manner.

A more specific object is to provide a novel and improved de-leading device for use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels which is simple in construction, will more effectively and harmlessly remove such deposits, and can be manufactured and produced so inexpensively as to make it practical to treat them as a disposable item.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved de-leading device [tor use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels which is constructed and designed to remove the lead deposits in flakes rather than to powder the same and consequently more fully and adequately remove such deposits.

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Another object is to provide a novel and improved deleadin-g device for use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels which is safer, more efiicient, and less likely to pick up and hold abrasive grit with consequent damage to the bore of the gun barrel during the cleaning operation.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved deleading device for use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels which has no twisted wire center stem or other supporting metal parts which are exposed and hence likely to gouge the bore of the gun barrel during the cleaning operation.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved de-leading device of the type described which is constructed and arranged so as to obviate the need for complete passes throughout the length of the gun barrel in order to avoid damage thereto and can, on the contrary, safely be used to scrub the bore by short back and forth movements of the same at the spots requiring de-leadmg.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved deleading device for use in loosening and removing lead deposits from the bore of gun barrels wherein the lead removing surfaces are resiliently supported and extend transversely to the direction of movement thereof so as to increase the cutting action thereof against lead deposits.

'Ilhese and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of my invention with portions thereof broken away to show the interior construction thereof, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the tubular sleeve which accomplishes the dc-leading action shown on an enlarged .scale and illustrating the weave of the metal fabric from which the tubular sleeve is made.

One embodiment of my invention as shown in FIGS. 1-2 includes a compressing member 6 in the form of a mandrel having a rounded head element 7 and a threaded end portion at the opposite end thereof. This compression member 6 is preferably formed or a hard plastic material such as Nylon. The head element 7 is preferably provided with gripping elements 9 which, as shown, may be in the form of serrations extending axially, or may be in the form of axially extending pins embedded in the head 7, or be formed of other well known means.

Slidably mounted on the shank of the compression member 6 is a tubular member lid which is preferably formed of rubber or similar flowable material that is resilient and (compressible and has a high resistance to oils and the like. The rubber from which the sleeve or tubular member 14) is formed is preferably of the Neoprene type. This sleeve 18 has an end portion 11 which bears against the serrations 9 and is gripped thereby to prevent relative rotatability between the elements 6 and 10.

The bore of the tubular member 19 is the same diameter or only slightly larger than the exterior circumference of the threaded portion 8 and shank of the element 6. The interior surface of the tubular member 10 which defines the bore 12 thereof has a pair of hemispherically extending recesses 13 and 14 formed therein. These recesses are in the form of annular grooves which are spaced longitudinally of the tubular member 10.

Carried by the compression member 5 is a pair of plastic washers 15 and 16 each of which has a serrated side and a smooth side as clearly shown in FIG. 1, the serrated 3 side of the washer '16 hearing against the end of the tubular member 6. Disposed between the two washers 1'5 and 16 and also carried by the shank of the compression member 6 is a thrust bearing member 17 which consists of an annular channel within which is maintained a plurality of circumferentially spaced metal balls. This type of bearing is well known and is readily procurable. An annular split detent spring 18 is mounted within an external groove formed on the end of the bushing 19 which is adapted to be connected to the cleaning rod 24.

It will be readily appreciated that turning the bushing 19 in a clockwise direction relative to the compression member 6 will apply longitudinal compression to the tubular member ill. Counter-clockwise turning of the same will reduce such compression. Thus it can be readily seen that by turning the bushing 19 in a clockwise direction the tubular member is compressed axially and caused to expand while the exterior circumferential surface thereof assumes the shape shown in FIG. 1. Thus the circumferential surface of the tubular member ill is expanded and will securely hold the knitted tubular sleeve member indicated generally by the numeral 2t) when the latter has been slid over the tubular member prior to compression of the latter.

The fabricated metal sleeve 20 is formed of strands of brass or bronze wire and has open ends as can be seen by reference to FIG. 1. The brass or bronze strands are, therefore, softer than the steel from which gun barrels are made. and hence are not inclined to gouge or damage the interior of the barrel. These strands, as best shown in FIG. 2 are knitted into loop elements 21 and hence are interwoven so that the sleeve 20 is stretchable circumferentially. The entire sleeve member 24 is elastic in nature because of the knitted characteristic thereof. It will be noted that each of the loop elements 21 has a restricted base portion as indicated by the numeral 22 and a relatively broad head portion 23. Reference to FIG. 1 shows that the circumferential dimensions of the head portion 23 are greater than the circumferential dimensions of the constricted base portion 22 of each of the loops and that the head portion 23 extends substantially circumferential- 7 1y of the tubular sleeve member. Thus the head portion of the loop extends at right angles to the direction of movement of the cleaning device when it is reciprocated within the gun barrel.

It will also be noted that each of the strands from which the sleeve 20 is made terminates at the end of the sleeve in one of the loop elements 21. This can be clearly seen by reference to FIG. 2 in which the end portion of the sleeve is shown at the top of the figure and also by reference to FIG. 1. It can also be seen, by reference to FIG. 2, that the individual loop elements are arranged somewhat spirally of the sleeve member relative to each other.

The sleeve elements 20 are produced by manufacturing or knitting a sleeve of the type shown which has substantial length and then the elongated sleeve is cut into segments to provide the individual sleeve elements 2%. A transverse cut will sever one set of the loop elements 21 and the portions of those loop elements will shake free of the sleeve 20 so that the ends of the sleeve 2th will have completed the loops as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby obviating any possibility of sharp ends of the brass wire gouging the interior of the gun barrel. From this it can be seen that the sleeve element 20 can be manufactured very inexpensively and rapidly, thereby reducing the cost such that the individual sleeve elements may be considered as being disposable after having been used only a few times. Thus the user is always assured of having a deleading device which will function effectively.

In use, the sleeve element 2b is slid onto the tubular member 10 while this member is in its free form condition. Thereafter compression is applied to the sleeve member 10 by turning the bushing 19 in a clockwise direction relative to the compression member 6 to cause the sleeve member 10 to assume the configuration shown in FIG. 1. Compression of the tubular member It causes the circumferential walls thereof to increase in circumference and positively hold the sleeve element 2t) therearound. If desired, the final expansion of the tubular member it) can be accomplished while this member and the sleeve element 20 thereon is disposed within the gun barrel. Thereafter longitudinal reciprocation of the cleaning rod will cause the head portions 23 of the individual loop elements 21 to effectively loosen the lead deposits within the interior of the barrel. It hasbeen found that the loop elements tend to cut the lead deposits away in flake form rather than to powder the same as is the tendency when wire bristles are utilized for this purpose- It will be noted that whenever a particular area having substantial lead deposits is located within the gun barrel, this area can be attacked through the use of short reciprocable movements of the de-leading device in that area without necessitating long passes throughout the length of the barrel as is required when wire bristles are utilized for de-leading purposes.

From the above it can be seen that I provided a novel and improved de-leading device which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to be utilized in cleaning a gun barrel. This de-leading device can be manufactured very inexpensively and will function in an improved manner in that it will accomplish its purpose more quickly, easily and safely than most de-leading de- 7 vices. It will be noted that there are no twisted wire stems or other supporting metal parts which may gouge the interior of the barrel during the de-leading operation and that the construction of the de-leading device is such as to minimize the tendency to collect abrasive grit etc. and carry it along to the ultimate damage of the interior of. the gun barrel.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A .gun cleaning device comprising an elongated compression member having a threaded end portion, a head element carried by said member :at its opposite end portion, a tubular member made of rubber having at least one hemispherically shaped recess formed therein, said tubular member being mounted on said compression member in surrounding relation and having one end portion transmitting pressure against said head element, a rotatable member threadedly connected to said threaded end portion of said compression member and abutting against and adapted to apply pressure against the opposite end portion of said tubular member when turned relative to said compression member in a predetermined direction to cause said compression member to expand generally in a circumferentially manner but produce a more pronounced expansion about said hemispherically shaped recess, and a circumferentially elastic metal sleeve having opposite open ends and being formed of a plurality of interwoven loops formed from strands of metal softer than steel and being removably mounted on said tubular member in snug encircling relation whereby said sleeve will become firmly affixed to said tubular member when the latter is expanded circumferentially as a result of iongitudinal compression applied to the opposite ends thereof.

by said rod member and said compression members.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the strands of metal of said sleeve at its opposite ends terminate in loop elements whereby an increased lead deposit removing action is attained and damage to the interior of the gun barrel is precluded when said compression member and said sleeve are moved longitudinally of the gun barrel while therewithin.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tubular member in its compressed state, has at least a pair of said hemispherically shaped recesses spaced axially apart to form at least a pair of circumferentially shaped hills and a valley therebetween whereby the lead deposit loosening action is enhanced by trapping lead in said circumferentially shaped valley during the cleaning action.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 including a cleaning rod threadedly attached to the end portion of said rotatable member so that the compression member may be turned with respect to said rotatable member to change the compression thereof while in an operable position within the gun barrel.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 including a bearing device disposed axially between said tubular mem- 5 operable position within the gun barrel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 486,331 Garrison Nov. 15, 1892 2,152,697 Kingman Apr. 4, 1939 2,500,715 Steiner Mar. 14, 1950 

1. A GUN CLEANING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED COMPRESSION MEMBER HAVING A THREADED END PORTION, A HEAD ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID MEMBER AT ITS OPPOSITE END PORTION, A TUBULAR MEMBER MADE OF RUBBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE HEMISPHERICALLY SHAPED RECESS FORMED THEREIN, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING MOUNTED ON SAID COMPRESSION MEMBER IN SURROUNDING RELATION AND HAVING ONE END PORTION TRANSMITTING PRESSURE AGAINST SAID HEAD ELEMENT, A ROTATABLE MEMBER THREADELY CONNECTED TO SAID THREADED END PORTION OF SAID COMPRESSION MEMBER AND ABUTTING AGAINST AND ADAPTED TO APPLY PRESSURE AGAINST THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WHEN TURNED RELATIVE TO SAID COMPRESSION MEMBER IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TO 